Train Trips in Los Angeles

Did you know that Los Angeles has 87 miles of rail lines that run through the center of the city, and connects Los Angeles to Pasadena, Culver City, Long Beach and Universal Studios. In fact there are many tourist attractions that are readily accessible by rail.

For example, Universal Studios, Grauman's Chinese Theater, The Disney Concert Hall, The Staples Center (home to the Lakers), The Space Shuttle Endeavour, The Queen Mary, The Hollywood Bowl, The Aquarium of the Pacific, Watts Towers and many award-wining best restaurants in Los Angeles can be reached by riding the train. In the case of the Queen Mary, you can take the train and transfer to a water taxi.

Now we know you still can't get to the beach by rail - or at least not until 2015 when the expanding Expo Line will reach Santa Monica.

However, there are wonderful, vibrant neighborhoods, tourist landmarks and off the beaten path attractions that ARE within a fifiteen minute walk from a metro rail station. So, rather than focus on what you can't see by rail, we wrote LA Adventures, a guidebook to touring the Los Angeles area by train. LA Adventures helps you plan great train trips. The book is divided to day trips, things you can see and do in a day by rail. The book gives you lots of ideas for planning your day trips in Los Angeles.

Here are a few tips to get you started if you want to ride the train in Los Angeles:

1) Download a free metrorail map. The map will give you an idea of how extensive the rail system is in the Los Angeles area which includes Pasadena, Culver City, Long Beach and North Hollywood.

2) If you are visiting LA for the first time or really want easy access to the rail system, consider staying in a metro-friendly hotel. We went to great lenghts to find the best hotels in the Los Angeles area that are 1) highly rated on trip advisor AND; 2) Close enough to a train station (within a five to ten minute walk).

3) Get a TAP card.

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